The Secrets That Lie In Avalon
by Crying Phoenix of Ravenwolf
Summary: King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of Camelot stumble into Auallonia where things aren't as they seem, things lurk in the dark, and where secrets of all are hidden. OCs. who were at somepoint part of Arthurian legends.


***~ I felt like my other Merlin story was going no where so I got rid of it and posted this one. I like this one more.~***

"Why are we here?" Merlin asked. He was fidgeting in his saddle.

They were in the Darkling Forest and it didn't put Merlin at ease. They had just crossed over a stream and his horse was somehow slipping.

"Stop fidgeting Merlin." Arthur groaned. "The creature is suppose to be here."

"Do we even know what it looks like?" Merlin asked. "Or what it does?"

"No one's ever seen it." Gwaine spoke.

"Exactly!" Merlin exclaimed. "We could be eaten alive!"

"Have you grown weak again, Merlin?" Arthur laughed over his shoulder.

"No." Merlin exasperated. "However at some point doesn't the Darkling Forest become the land of another Kingdom that we have a treaty with and if we cross into their lands the treaty is broken and war will reek havoc the two lands?" Merlin had said it quite fast, making Arthur and some of the other Knights laugh at him.

"We have hidden our capes, Merlin." Arthur said.

"And yet I'm the only one not wearing chain mail." Merlin exclaimed. "Doesn't that seem odd for weary travelers to be wearing chain mail?"

"We can say we have been cast away by King Arthur." Gwaine piped in.

"That may work." Elyan agreed. The other Knights agreed as well.

"C'mon! We are not going to be caught by the other kingdom's men. King Cador doesn't keep his men on the borders at all times. Plus, we are not going to cross over the border." Arthur said.

"I thought the border was that stream we crossed over?" Percival spoke.

"No, the stream on the border is past an old oak tree with a boulder covering a hole." Arthur waved off.

"Sire, we passed that tree before crossing the stream." Leon informed.

"No we didn't." Arthur said but there was more question and worry in his voice.

"It was, sire." Leon said.

Merlin glared at Arthur. Arthur rolled his eyes at Merlin.

"Don't worry, Merlin, we will not be caught." Arthur beamed.

As he finished his words, four hooded riders came around the bend. Arthur motioned his Knights to stop and watched the riders approach. The four riders slowed down but did not stop. The four riders began to circle Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights. One wore a dark red leather jacket, with black boots and black pants; another wore dark green; another wore dark blue; and the other wore dark purple. You could barely see their face and the only fully visible part of their face was the mouth.

"What do we have here, sisters?" The one in green spoke. The voice was feminine. "Weary travelers?" The sister riders laughed.

"Six men lost in the wilderness?" The one in blue smiled.

"Just shows how useless they are." The one in red laughed.

"Oh, Lassie, you know they are good for some things." The one in purple grinned.

Merlin made a note in his mind: Lassie equals red.

"We are weary travelers that have gotten lost-" Arthur began.

"Oh my stars, they speak! Have you ever heard of such a thing, Brim?" The suspected Lassie said.

"Only in my dreams." The purple spoke.

Brim equals purple; Merlin noted again.

"They look like knights." The blue sneered. " Knights of Camelot perhaps."

"Don't be so cross, Elaine." Brim said. "Remember, Camelot Knights aren't suppose to look so handsome."

Blue equals Elaine.

The four young women had stopped circling Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights but stood around the men; glancing to each other.

"If they are though, we need to turn them in." The one in green said, leaning forward. She was right in front of Arthur and even though no one could she their eyes, Merlin swore she was looking directly at Arthur. The other sisters groaned.

"Nora, you take the fun out of everything." Brim smiled, eyeing Gwaine. Gwaine was grinning happily at Brim but stopped when he realized everyone else was watching him.

Green equals Nora.

"We have to take them in anyways." Elaine spoke. "Shall we escort them sister?" She asked Nora.

"Now no offense to four lovely ladies as yourselves," Arthur started again, "but what makes you think that four ladies could escort six men peacefully?"Arthur asked.

The four ladies looked at each other. The one in green slid off her hood and Merlin stiffened.

The young woman looked very much like Morgause, practically the same.

Arthur had reached for his sword and the Knights followed. The young women only smiled. Arthur and the Knights had their swords drawn and ready. The sisters glanced at each other again and then began to laugh. The knights looked at each other flummoxed.

"Your sword cannot do damage to us." The woman said, motioning her arms to herself and her sisters. "I am not Morgause so you may put those swords away."

Arthur and the Knights held their swords up, not faltering.

Merlin leaned over to Arthur. "It may be a good idea to listen to them."

"Shut up." Arthur said.

Arthur held the tip of the sword to Nora's neck. She smiled. Her sisters did not budge to help their sister but reached into their jackets.

"How do I know you are not lying?" Arthur asked.

"You don't." Nora replied calmly.

"I sense magic." Brim said.

Merlin stiffened more. Did they know? They seemed to know that they were from Camelot. They knew about Morgause. Maybe they knew about him.

"His sword was forged in Dragon's breath." Elaine spoke, pointing to Arthur. Arthur glanced to her, raising an eyebrow. "And magic brought him into the world." She said calmly.

"His Mother died for him." Lassie scoffed. "A whore I also heard."

Arthur lowered his sword a bit. Nora backed up a bit so the sword wasn't close to her body.

"No that was our Mother, Lassie." Brim smiled at Arthur.

"Oh yes. Married to Gorlois, had sex with Uther bore him a child, had one more child with Gorlois, fake both her's and the child's death, then went on to King Urien who she bore two daughters, and finally the last one she bore to no Father." Lassie corrected herself. "Sorry about that."

"You're Morgana's sisters?" Merlin asked.

"Sadly." Elaine said. "Along with Morgause."

"Now," Brim said becoming serious, "since we obviously have magic, will you come with us peacefully, for I rather not ruin the handsome faces of the knights, yourself, or your man servant?"

Arthur hesitantly nodded to his Knights and put his sword away. The Knights did the same.

"Wise choice." Nora said, nodding to her sisters.

She slid on her hood again and turned her horse around. The ten of them began to trot into the direction the four riders had come.

Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights were escorted by the four ladies to a hall lit but hundred of candles. A man with curly dark brown hair was perched on a throne. His face became darker as he saw the four sisters.

"Where were you?" He asked, hostility in his voice.

"We went out for a ride and found some travelers." Nora said, taking off her hood. "Relax, brother."

'A brother?' Merlin thought. 'How many more of them are there?'

"Knights?" He said standing up.

"Even better." Brim said, taking off her hood. She and her sisters walked up to their brother and turned to face the men. "Knights of Camelot."

Brim had long sandy colored hair with dark blue eyes. Her skin was a rose color that seemed to darken when she smiled. She couldn't of been more than twenty years old.

The two other sisters slid off their hoods revealing their faces.

Lassie had similarly colored hair to Brim but had brighter blue eyes. She looked more like Morgana, maybe a little skinner. She was younger than Brim but only by a year. Elaine was the one who looked most odd. Elaine had fire colored hair and emerald green eyes. Her own skin was whiter than Merlin's. Elaine was older than Brim and Lassie but younger than Morgause. She must've been twenty-five at the least. Cador looked the eldest. He was bigger than Percival but not as tall. He had curly dark brown hair that blended into facial hair upon his top lip and chin. His eyes were a dark blue,but they held hatred. He had to be thirty six.

"You have broken the treaty." He spoke. "Do you know what you may have started?"

"I apologize, your majesty, we were searching for a creature that has been terrorizing the outskirts of Camelot. We did not realize we had crossed over into your lands." Arthur apologized.

"You do know that crossing the border unannounced is punishable by death." He said plainly and without emotion.

Merlin gulped. Five men without magic and one with magic against a dozen people with magic, was not good odds.

"We had no idea we were in your lands-"

"Yes you did." He said. The sisters looked at each other wearily.

Suddenly the door opened. Everyone looked up to see who it was, then they began to kneel. The men of Camelot looked around them, but Merlin stared right at the new comer.

The new comer practically wore the same thing as the sisters were just in all black. She slid back her hood, revealing her face. She had long black curly hair in which strands were randomly braided. Her skin was darker than the siblings and her eyes were quite different. Her left eye was a bright green while the right was a magenta color. She had to be between eighteen and sixteen. Merlin noticed something poking through her hair. Something pointy...

"Arise." She spoke and the people did so.

She walked to the siblings and stood right in front of Arthur. She placed her hand on his chin and moved his face from side to side, like she was examining it. She let go of her hand and took a step back. She turned her head towards the brother.

"Do you know who this is, Cador?" She asked.

"A Knight of Camelot, sister." Cador answered.

Another one?

"We have the King of Albion in our presence and you are treating him like the enemy." She exclaimed. Merlin and Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"King of Albion?" Arthur whispered to Merlin.

"I have no idea." Merlin breathed.

"Right now he is the enemy, Anna." Cador stated.

"And when the time comes for him not to be, he will think of us so." She spoke.

She seemed to have more power for such a young age.

"They broke the treaty!" Cador exclaimed.

"I do not care about the treaty!" Anna exclaimed. "It only mattered when Uther was alive. I shall not have the once and future king be dishonored by people who have sworn a silent allegiance to him. Or has that been broken as well."

She looked around the room and everyone could not look her in the eye.

"I thought so." She said. She turned her attention to Arthur. "I apologize for my family's and people's impoliteness to you, Sire." Anna said, with a slight bow.

"I forgive them." Arthur nodded. Anna smiled.

"Norcadet." She called.

"Yes?" Nora replied.

"May you and Brimescent find beds for our guests? I feel as if they will be visiting us for a bit." Anna said.

"Yes sister." She said. Brim and her stepped forward and motioned for the men of Camelot to follow.

"King Arthur and Merlin, I wish to speak to you." Anna said, taking off her gloves, one finger at a time. Arthur and Merlin stayed while the knights left. "May the court leave us." She ordered. "As you brother and sisters."

They bowed and left quietly. Anna turned and sat down in the throne. The doors closed with a small bang.

"I must apologize again. Usually my siblings do not act like this. I pray they did not harm you." Anna said.

"They did not and you are forgiven." Arthur replied.

"Good." Anna smiled, biting her lip.

"Before everyone left, you called Arthur the 'King of Albion'. What do you mean by that?" Merlin asked. He knew exactly what those words meant but he kept up appearances.

"Albion." Anna laughed, almost dazed. "It's a land the poets and druids speak of. Where the once and future king has united the people of Albion in peace."

"And you believe it is I?" Arthur questioned.

"Anyone who knows the prophecy knows who it is." Anna grinned, but it faded. "Sadly, Morgana hasn't learned that yet. Surprising really, she is the last High Priestess of the Triple Goddess for the stars' sake. She's a seer and she can't see that."

"And if Morgana were to find out about this prophecy, would she cease her attacks?" Arthur asked.

"Probably not. Morgana has too much hatred in her." Anna breathed. "She wants power and revenge. She will get it one day, but at a large price. A lot of things will happen that day."

Her eyes stared at the two men but her mind was else where. She was seeing all that was happening that day. Death. Victory. Peace. Forgiveness. Capture.

"What day?" Arthur asked.

Anna blinked and came back into this world. She smiled. "Nothing you need to worry about just yet, love." She stood up and danced over to the two men. "I shall show you to your chambers, so follow me."

She danced past them to the huge wooden double doors and opened them. Arthur and Merlin stared at her dumbfounded.

"From solemn to dancing? She is quick to change." Arthur said to Merlin. Merlin nodded. "That could be dangerous."

"She seems harmless." Merlin spoke.

"And so did Morgana." Arthur responded.

"C'mon you two. Spit spot, we don't have all day." Anna sang motioning them to follow her.

Merlin smiled amused. Merlin was practically glad to follow, while Arthur was hesitant. The followed her down a few corridors, listening to her talk about the architecture and the people that have visited the palace.

"Did my Father ever visit the palace?" Arthur asked.

Anna stopped and looked at him. "A law we have here is that anyone is welcome here. Uther and your Mother use to visit here. One summer after your Mother died, Uther came here for a truce. He said that Nimueh was visiting some old friends in the woods. It wasn't questionable. Nimueh had friends here in these woods. However, unknown to my Grandfather who was ruling at the time, Nimueh had escaped from persecution and Uther still raged war against magic. Uther and his men attacked the kingdom. This war lasted two years. Finally my Grandfather fell. Uther attempted to claim this land his but my uncle, Cador I, would not hear of it.

"Uncle was able to force Uther and his men out of our kingdom all the way to the stream. At that stream Uncle forced Uther to sign a treaty stating that if either one of the kingdoms crossed over the boundary, war would raise up and the people who crossed over would be killed. That was the last time a Pendragon step foot into our kingdom." Anna explained. "Then you did."

"There must have been a reason for my Father attacking your kingdom." Arthur commented.

Anna crossed her arms. "You are in a land of magic now Arthur. More than half of our people have magic. Our kingdom is associated with magic. That was enough for your Father." Anna turned on heels and continued down the corridor.

Anna was insulted by Arthur's comment. Uther did care. In his eyes magic was evil and that's all it was ever going to be and it was seeping into his son's mind. That hypocritical bastard.

Merlin and Arthur followed her again and all three of them stopped in front of a black wooden door.

"This will be your room, Arthur." Anna said, taking out a ring of keys and unlocking the door.

They walked into a dark room with the moonlight shining through the stain glass windows. With a wave of Anna's hands the candles were lit. Room was smaller than Arthur's was in Camelot. There was a bed enough to hold two people, a dresser, a trunk, a divider, and a desk and chair.

Arthur turned to Anna. "Where is Merlin sleeping?"

"Merlin will have his own room in the West Corridor. You are in East." Anna stated.

"He's my man servant why wouldn't he be in the same corridor as me. It would be harder for me to call for him." Arthur remarked.

Anna stared at him for a moment, giving him a death stare. "Let's go Merlin!" She exclaimed suddenly with a smile. She walked out of the room and waited for him.

"I swear that girl is mad." Arthur exclaimed.

"I don't think she is." Merlin said, walking out of the room.

Anna and Merlin walked towards the West Corridor.

"What else do you know about this Albion prophecy?" Merlin asked, interested.

"I know more than Arthur's destiny if that's what you are asking." Anna grinned, looking over her shoulder to Merlin. "Emrys will help King Arthur. He is Morgana's destiny and her doom whilst being the light to her dark, the love to her hatred."

"Are you a seer as well?" Merlin asked.

Anna nodded. "My powers started when I was five." Anna stated. "Have had any visions yet, Emrys?"

"I-I-I'm not Emrys." Merlin stuttered.

Anna laughed. "Then I am not Morgana's youngest sister."

Merlin bit his lip. "How did you know?" Merlin asked her.

"A wizard as powerful as you is noticeable to other powerful sorcerers." Anna explained. "I am surprised that Mordred has not told Morgana of your power nor she sensing it."

"Wait," Merlin blurted, grabbing Anna's arm, "why would Mordred tell Morgana? I thought he disappeared?"

Anna tilted her head slightly. "Mordred is Arthur's bane. Mordred is Arthur's demise. Mordred works with Morgana. Killigarrah did tell you about their alliance, correct?"

"All right," Merlin sighed, "it is somewhat irritating that you know so much about the future, Arthur, Morgana, Mordred, and even me."

"I apologize. I do that some times." Anna said.

Merlin smiled. "I'm joking." Merlin laughed. "I don't meet many people with gifts."

"Well here you will meet plenty." Anna smiled.

They turned the corner and stopped in front of a white wooden door. All Anna did was turn the handle and opened it. The two of them walked into the room and Merlin was in awe. The room was bigger than the one he had in Camelot and bigger than Arthur's here. Along one wall were shelves of books. In a corner was a small table cluttered with potion making instruments and what-not. There were two dressers and two trunks. There were two desks on either of the room and the bed was big enough to fit three people.

"I-I-I-I can't this. I can't sleep in here." Merlin stuttered.

"This room was made for powerful people." Anna remarked. "You're a powerful person."

Merlin smiled and ran his fingers over the books. "Who did this room belong too?" Merlin asked.

"My parents." Anna said. Merlin stopped.

"Who are your parents exactly?" Merlin asked. "You said you were Morgana's sister. I thought her Mother died when she was very young along with her Father and you look seventeen years of age."

"Vivian and Gorlois are my parents." Anna said, walking out of the room. "Just because I look young doesn't mean I am as young as I look, love." Anna smiled and shut the door behind her.


End file.
